This is one of about 30 paintings by Joe Tarrody that will be exhibited through Sept. 1 in "Reflections" at the Hilton Head Art League Gallery in Pineland Station.

If you go "Reflections," an exhibition of 30 oil paintings by Joe Tarrody, is at the Hilton Head Art League Gallery in Pineland Station from July 24-Sept. 1, There will be a reception July 24 from 5-7 p.m. at the gallery to meet the artist and see his work. The collection of oils will include landscapes (mostly Lowcountry marsh scenes), still life, florals and scenes from U.S. National Parks. All of the work is for sale, with the exception of his precious painting of Lake Balaton. In addition to the featured works by Tarrody, the artwork of more than 100 local member artists will be on display. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. (843) 681-5060. The Hilton Head Art League is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting the visual arts on the island and enhancing the arts skills of its more than 900 members.

A crafty story, plenty of guts and a daring escape from the Red Army ultimately led painter Joe Tarrody to America - and to Hilton Head where an exhibition of his work goes up July 24.

His work is always characterized by his reflections on the spirituality and harmony of the natural world around him, and his paintings are noted for their wonderful renderings of reflected light.

Almost every work in the show includes a reflection - if not in water, then in glass, granite, mirrors, stoneware, metal and even in the shiny wrapping paper of a gift.

Tarrody doesn't follow stylistic fads, but rather seeks to capture the aesthetic principles and techniques of the Old Masters and the Impressionists. He is especially noted for his expert drawing and brushwork techniques. There is indeed so much to reflect upon.

It is Tarrody's love of painting that actually saved his life and brought him from his native Hungary to the United States. When Russian Red Army tanks rolled into Budapest to crush the Freedom Fighters in 1956, thousands of Hungarians fled the country. Most attempted to escape carrying gold, jewelry and whatever other small valuables they could hide on their person. Tarrody, on the other hand, stuffed his backpack with watercolor paints, brushes, sketchbooks and the most recent painting he had done - Hungary's Lake Balaton.

This selection of "valuables" proved to be the turning point in his life. Captured and jailed while trying to escape, he managed to convince the security police interrogators that he was merely using the country's present chaos as an opportunity to take a short study and painting trip to Italy, from which he was fully intending to return. He was eventually released, only to finally elude the border guards one week later by crawling at night through electrified barbed wire across the border into Austria. The painting of Lake Balaton will be in the exhibition.

Born in Budapest in 1930, Tarrody began winning art competitions at age 4. He was educated in the European tradition, beginning with two years of art education at the Fine Arts Academy of Hungary, followed by six years at the University of Budapest where he won first prize in the university's annual art competition for six years straight, and received his master's degree in architecture in 1956.

After his escape from Hungary he began a career as an architect in Washington, D.C, where he eventually founded his own architectural rendering and design consulting business. In 1997, he and wife, Janet, moved to Hilton Head Island where he now paints most afternoons in the studio of the home he designed here on the island. He receives much of his inspiration from the Lowcountry views from his home and the exotic fruits and flowers he grows himself.

After a hiatus of 35 years, his first major work was selected in the nationwide "Arts for the Parks" juried competition for exhibition in Jackson Hole, Wyo. He has won awards for four straight years in the annual juried show of the Hilton Head Plantation Artists Association and the first place award in the 2002 Hilton Head Island International Piano Competition for his painting "Moonlight Sonata."

"Ever since I was very young, my visual perception of life has moved me to express myself through art, " says Tarrody, "and this was enhanced when I lost much of my hearing at age 10 due to a childhood illness." As Tarrody continues to reflect on life through his art, in the freedom of retirement, we can all enjoy his classically inspired paintings.